Life of Pi by Yann Martel is an adventure novel portraying the journey of a young Indian boy from Pondicherry, named Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel. The novel depicts the story of Pi, a boy who survives a distressing shipwreck in a lifeboat along with a large Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, in the Pacific Ocean. In the novel, the author uses several rich symbols to represent important ideas and events. Throughout the story, the zoo, the algae island, and the colour orange effectively help communicate Pi’s journey to the targeted audience.
Pi’s life in the Pondicherry zoo parallels his experience of 227 days on the lifeboat. The stranded lifeboat and his father’s zoo are two similar environments that help the readers thoroughly understand
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The algae island is a symbolic representation of Pi’s spiritual journey showcased throughout the novel. Stranded in the Pacific Ocean, upon seeing land full of trees, Pi is “certain it [is] an illusion that a few blinks would make disappear” (284). Pi witnesses the island full of green trees, the “colour of Islam” (285), which portrays a shallow faith. The island initially seems like a paradise, a heaven, where meerkats are docile and tranquil; however, upon discovering the fruit which contained a tooth inside, Pi knows “it [is] the seed of [his] departure” (310). The island is like a display of the “Garden of Eden”, and the fruit depicts the “Forbidden Fruit”. After spending immensely peaceful nights in the island, Pi realizes the true capability of the island’s cruelty. He eventually decides to leave the island, refusing an unfaithful belief and rejecting the opportunity to reside in a deceptive …show more content…
The colour orange is symbolic in Hinduism and signifies hope and survival. When the author visits Piscine’s home, he witnesses Usha, Pi’s daughter “holding an orange cat in her arms” (102). The cat in Usha’s hands is a miniature representation of Richard Parker, a large Bengal tiger whose body is “bright brownish orange streaked with black vertical stripes” (167) along with a “carrot orange face [with] a broad bridge and a pink nose, […] made [with] brazen flair” (167). In Pi’s journey full of hardships, Richard Parker proves to be the motivation that allows Pi to stay courageous and hope for a better tomorrow. Additionally, the Hindu colour orange is the colour of survival. For instance, “the whole inside of the boat and the tarpaulin and the life jackets and the lifebuoy and the oars and most every other significant object aboard was orange. Even the plastic, beadless whistles were orange” (153). The significance of the orange colour in multiple objects associated with Pi’s survival assist the audience in comprehending the literature more closely.
Yann Martel incorporates various symbols with a hidden deeper meaning throughout the piece of literature. When analyzed attentively, the symbolic representations of these elements allow the audience to meticulously study and understand the context. In the novel Life of Pi, the symbolic
Stranded for 227 days at sea in a lifeboat, with no one else except an adult Bengal tiger. This is exactly what the main character Pi, in "The Life of Pi" went through. "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel is a story about a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel, an Indian boy who survives more than seven months floating on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean, with no one else but a 450-pound tiger (Cooper). Yann Martel was born on June 25, 1963, in Salamanca, Spain. His parents, Emile Martel and Nicole Perron, were both born in Canada. He spent his childhood in several different countries, including France, Mexico, the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica. As an adult, he lived in many other places but one of them was India, which may be where he got inspiration for writing “Life of Pi”. Yann Martel uses the literary elements similes and foreshadowing, to express the theme that believing in religion can give you the faith to want to survive.
Martel introduces multiple implicit symbols throughout his novel that, though are able to be interpreted in multiple ways depending on one’s perspective, highlight the importance of religion. When confronted with the ferocity of tiger aboard his lifeboat, Pi must flee to his raft handcrafted with remnants of life jackets and oars gathered from the boat. This raft may be symbolically interpreted as a representation of his faith throughout his journey. After a dauntless attempt at training Richard Parker in order to “carve out” his territory, Pi is knocked off the lifeboat into shark infested waters with a great blow: “I swam for the raft in frantic strokes... I reached the raft, let out all the rope and sat with my arms wrapped around my knees and my head down, trying to put out the fire of fear that was blazing within me. I stayed on the raft for the rest of the day and the whole night” (Martel 228). Like the raft, Pi’s faith, constructed of portions of three separate religions, trails diligently behind his survival needs and instincts –symbolized by Richard Parker and the...
Throughout the novel, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the notion of how the concepts of idealism and truth mold an individual’s life are vividly displayed. This is emblematized as Pi questions the idea of truth and the affects it has on different aspect of life, as well as his idealistic values being transformed due to the contrast between taking action and sheer belief. The messages generated will alter the way the reader thinks, as well as reshaping their overall perception of truth.
Piscine Molitor Patel, widely known as Pi throughout the riveting novel, strives himself to handle instances in a manner opposite to his previous beliefs in his time on the open ocean. Encountering a sea of distresses that alter him completely, Pi’s ability to extensively grasp situations aid him in his time of need. Ultimately, Pi’s aptitude reaches its brink. Initially, Pi professes his vegetarianism, but given his predicament he applies new logic. Moreover, with consideration of his survival, he recognizes that he must consume fish. As the novel progresses,...
This alternate ending plays a key role in understanding how to view the novel through Freudian lenses. Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis clarifies many troubling issues raised in the novel Life of Pi. Martel’s novel is about the journey of a young man being forced to test his limits in order to survive the unthinkable predicament of being lost at sea alongside an adult Bengal tiger. Life of Pi starts out by introducing an anonymous author on a quest to find his next big story and goes to a man by the name of Piscine Molitor Patel who supposedly has a story worth hearing. Patel begins his story talking about his childhood and the main events that shaped him such as his family’s zoo, the constant curiosity in religion he sought as a young boy and also how he got his nickname Pi.
Within the text, Life of Pi, the narrator, Pi had always been drawn towards the tiger, Richard Parker, throughout his entire childhood, even during hardships, where Pi’s life was in danger. This can be evident when Pi talks about the importance of the tiger, “ Richard Parker has stayed with me. I’ve never forgotten him. Dare say I miss him? I do. I miss him. I still see him in my dreams. They are nightmares mostly, but nightmares tinged with love. Such is the strangeness of the human heart.” (pg. 14). This shows that Pi considers Richard Parker to be part of his family, side from all the loss and grief he has experienced throughout his journey, even though he is a tiger. Unlike, Life of Pi, the poem illustrates tigers through dark and negative light and pursue these creatures as evil figures that are the result of the higher power. This idea can be pictured through the focal point of the poem, through the use of sensationalism.” What dread grasp. Dare its deadly terrors clasp?”. Through the use of this persuasive technique, the poet, continuously raises questions to the higher power, as to why he could possibly create such horror. Both tigers are powerful creations that are an animal at the end of the day and is savage when it comes to
Most of the story’s literary elements are told throughout the story, with some minor exceptions. The protagonist of the story is, Piscine Molitor Patel, nicknamed Pi for short, and Richard Parker, the Bengal Tiger that was born and raised in Pi’s zoo in India. Throughout the story, there are many secondary characters that appear. There are three main external conflicts in the story, Man versus Man, Man versus Society, and Man versus Nature. The story follows
Question: At the end of the novel, Pi’s alternate story compares his mother, a cook, and a sailor to the animals on board. How does the tiger represent Pi?
A shocking event puts Piscine Patel in a extreme journey that he has never witnessed. In the novel Life of Pi written by Yann Martel, Oi Patel goes through suffering after barely surviving a ship wreck. His family had plans to move to Canada since India was stuck in a crisis and the Patel family was afraid that they would lose their zoo. They took a ship and set sail when they found themselves in a dangerous storm causing the ship to wreck. Pi finds himself the only survivor with an orangutan, a hyena, and a zebra with a broken leg. The hyena kills the Zebra for food and then later, kills the orangutan named Orange Juice. Pi tries to isolate himself from the yen until Richard Parker comes and eats the hyena. His presence was unexpected because
In Pondicherry, India, Piscine “Pi” Patel enjoys his childhood as the son of the local zookeeper means plenty of fun things to do. In that role, Pi learns a great deal about the wild beasts that his father keeps. Though a Hindu, Pi also finds pleasure in learning about Christianity and Islam and willingly practices the three belief systems over the objections of his family and religious leaders.
As the reader examines the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the reader recognizes the similarities between the story of the animals and the factual story. The main character Piscine Molitor Patel, known as Pi, goes through many struggles once he is stuck on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean which are shown between both of his stories. Throughout the novel, Martel describes to the readers the relationships the Pi has between the animals in the story of animals and the real people in the factual story. In Life of Pi, Pi meets many different animals on his journey on the lifeboat that influence him in many ways, including the zebra, which represents the Taiwanese sailor; the hyena, which represents the chef; Orange Juice, the orangutan, which represents Pi’s mother; and the Royal Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, which represents Pi himself.
The Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, is the story of a young man, Piscine, or Pi for short, who experiences unbelievable and unrealistic events, which are so unrealistic ambiguity is aroused amongst the reader. Duality reoccurs over the course of the novel through every aspect of Pi’s world view and is particularly seen in the two contradictory stories, which displays the brutal nature of the world. Martel wonderfully crafts and image of duality and skepticism though each story incorporated in this novel.
Many symbolisms are seen throughout the book which represent the themes of the novel. One of them is the orange lifebuoy. The color orange is the color of Hinduism. It represents the theme of faith because without it, Pi would not have survived. Another one was the mysterious Algae Island. It symbolizes the theme of religion. He described it as ‘very green’ which is the color of Islam. It also shows that whenever we’re in a difficult situation, we would always face religion. Therefore, Pi felt that he was safe because of the algae
Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, is a fictional novel written in 2001 that explores the primacy of survival by employing symbolism, foreshadowing and motifs. This story follows the life of the protagonist, Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, as he embarks on his journey as a castaway. After boarding the Tsimtsum which carries Pi and his family along with a menagerie of animals, an abysmal storm capsizes the ship leaving Pi as the only survivor, though he is not alone. The great Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, also survives the shipwreck and during the 227 days that Pi and Richard Parker are stranded at sea together, the two must learn to coexist and trust one another for survival. Through Pi and Richard Parker’s struggles to remain alive, Martel explores the primal idea of survival by employing literary techniques.
The colour orange can symbolize many things such as happiness, success, determination but in Life of Pi, it represents the survival. Pi has to suffer through many things such as living in the ocean, finding food, making sure he is protected from the sun, and most of all living with a Bengal tiger, all of this to make it through until he finds land. Firstly, there are many things inside the boat that are orange that represent survival: “It seems orange- such a nice Hindu colour- is the colour of survival because the whole inside of the boat and the tarpaulin and the life jackets and the lifebuoy and the oars and most every other significant object aboard was orange. Even the plastic, beadless whistles were orange” (Martel 153). All of these orange obje...